Always
by bionic4ever
Summary: COMPLETE! Jaime and Steve's wedding day brings back happy and not so happy memories of the past.
1. Chapter 1

**Always**

Chapter One

September 5, 1978

The day couldn't have been more perfect if they'd custom-ordered it. The sky was the color of clear aquamarine crystal and sparkled just as brilliantly. The wildflowers had cooperated, staying in full bloom for several extra weeks, their scent wafting gently across the hillside on the warm Indian Summer breeze. The emerald-green bluff lofted majestically over the Pacific Ocean, where the waves were just high enough to be powerfully beautiful without being threatening. The 200-plus chairs, the flowered trellis and the outdoor altar, set up the previous evening, had not been rained on. It seemed that even the forces of nature understood and respected how much this couple had gone through before finally making it to this momentous occasion.

Even if their relationship did have a somewhat sickening beginning...

------

September 5, 1954

"Got enough food on that tray?" a pert little voice challenged.

Steve Austin, feeling very full of himself now that he was in third grade, looked around - and down. A tiny, _little_ girl, her blonde hair in pigtails, stood with her hands on her hips, looking up at him. "Beat it, Kid," he scoffed, walking away. All he had on his tray was two cheeseburgers, french fries, an apple and a cookie - not so much for a boy in third grade.

"You're rude!" she declared, taking several fast, little skip-steps to stay right behind him.

"What are you, like...three?"

"Five," she answered, completely undeterred. "I'm Jaime."

"So?"

"What's your name?"

"Leave me alone." He tried to dodge and evade, but she was sticking to him like glue.

"You gonna eat all that, Mister Leave Me Alone?"

"So what if I am?"

"So - you're a pig, Mister Leave Me Alone."

"Steve! Ok?" He found an empty table and sat down. "_Now_ will you _go away_?"

Jaime stubbornly sat right across from him, swinging her Mary-Jane-covered feet since they didn't reach the floor. "**_Steve_**," she said, as though trying it on for size.

"I think you dropped your pacifier on the playground, Kid," Steve said, digging into his cheeseburger. When he looked up, she was still sitting there, sipping her carton of milk and watching him intently. "What?" he asked, impatient and annoyed.

"You must be really hungry."

"Might even have seconds."

"Betcha can't eat one of everything."

"Could if I wanted to."

"I _dare_ you. I _double-dare_ you!"

A few minutes later, Steve was back at the table, smiling confidently. In front of him, he had his half-eaten cheeseburger, a hot dog, two sandwiches: grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly, the second cheeseburger, potato chips, french fries, an apple, a banana and a chocolate chip cookie. Jaime watched with ever-widening eyes as he polished off every crumb.

------

At the end of the school day, Steve spent nearly twenty minutes in the little boys' room. He'd been too stubborn - or too macho, even at age eight - to go to the nurse. When he was finally able to leave the bathroom...there she was again! Jaime stood in the hallway, waiting for him. Steve braced himself for some world-class teasing, until he noticed that her wide, hazel eyes were full of tears.

"I...I'm sorry," she whispered, staring at the floor.

"For what?"

"You got sick."

"Says who?"

Jaime shrugged. "I live near you. Want me to walk home with you, since you're sick? I called my mom, and she said it was ok."

"I'm not sick, and I'm _not_ walking home with a _girl_."

"Ok," she said agreeably. Jaime picked up her brand-new little school bag and walked away.

Steve walked slowly out of the building and began heading for home. Halfway there, he sat down on a rock and tried to regain control of his stomach.

"Now can I walk you home?" Jaime appeared beside him.

"Alright." It would be good to have someone to walk with, even if she was a girl. They didn't talk much, though; at least not at first. Steve didn't understand what this 'baby' was after, and Jaime was trying to figure why he couldn't see that they were _supposed_ to be friends.

------

September 5, 1978

The chosen spot was not only the ideal size and location with the perfect atmosphere; it was also happily ironic. As the wedding guests stepped onto the path that led up the gentle slope to the bluff at the top, they passed the very rock Steve had paused to rest upon, the day Jaime had so insistently entered his life, exactly 24 years earlier, to the day and very nearly to the exact hour.

------


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

September 5, 1978

Jaime stared out the window of her childhood bedroom - long since made into a guest room by Mrs. Noah, the current owner, who'd invited Jaime to spend the night there and prepare for her wedding in _her_ room. Her late father's rosebushes were much taller than they'd been when Jaime had spent so many happy hours daydreaming from this very spot on the window seat when she was younger. The bright yellow roses still bloomed faithfully every year, and Jaime had chosen them for the base of her bouquet, as a way to hold her father close to her heart,

The old tree house she and Steve had spent an entire summer building had been partially destroyed by years of wind and rain, but pieces of it still existed, and even though Mrs. Noah and her late husband had never had children, Jaime's swing set and sandbox still sat in the backyard. There were too many memories attached to them for anyone to think of tearing them down...

------

September 14, 1954

Tears stung Jaime's face as she dug fiercely into the piles of sand, packing her little pail full and trying to understand why her new friend had been so mean to her. She and Steve had been walking home from school together every afternoon since they'd met, spending an hour or two each day doing 'stuff' together afterward. They rode bikes (Jaime's still had training wheels, but she was unusually fast), ran races through the fields (she was really, really fast, and he was a little pudgy), and even having dinner at each other's homes. They truly were becoming friends; or so Jaime had believed, until that afternoon.

For the very first time, Jaime had spotted Steve on the playground during his recess and right before her kindergarten class was to begin. She went bouncing up to him in her usual isn't-the-world-wonderful mood, unaware he'd told his classmates he walked home with her because her parents had paid him to make sure she got there safely. (It wasn't true, of course, but a guy's got an image to protect!)

"Hi, Steve! Wanna swing? Bet I can get mine higher than yours!" she'd chirped.

Steve turned to stare at her with a look of utter contempt on his face. "I think your mommy's got a nice, warm bottle for you, so why don't you find your blankie and go home, Kid?"

Jaime stared back at him, stuck out her tongue for good measure, and stomped away. When school was over, she didn't wait for him, taking off on her own and walking fast enough that she knew he wouldn't catch up.

When she got home, Jaime devoured her cookies, probably setting a new speed-eating record, and headed out to her sandbox to work off some anger. Once she started dwelling on it, she felt more hurt than angry and the tears began to fall. She dumped the fully-packed pail onto the sand, drove her fist into the mound she'd made, and began shoveling again. She was on her fourth mound when a very humble Steve approached the sandbox.

"Hi," he said quietly, suitably ashamed of himself when he saw she was crying. Jaime didn't answer. Suddenly, packing that pail completely full was the most important thing in her world. "Look, I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it. Jaime?"

"_Go away._ I'm busy."

"You wanna ride bikes, or something?" Steve asked, genuinely trying.

"Nope."

"C'mon - I said I was sorry."

Jaime stood up to her full height (which, even in the elevated sandbox was still much shorter than Steve), raised the filled bucket and...dumped the contents directly on top of his head.

------

September 5, 1978

"Jaime? It's time to put on your dress, Dear." Helen's voice pulled Jaime out of her reverie. Jaime turned to her legal guardian (more of an adopted mom, really) and smiled radiantly.

"I found Mom's hanky," she told Helen happily. "The one her grandmother made, and my grandmother and my mother both wore during their weddings."

"It's beautiful, Dear. And it's your 'something old' and 'something blue' since it has that little flower in the corner."

"I just wish Mom and Dad were really here," Jaime said wistfully. "Being back in this house, and in this room, makes me realize how much I lost and how much I miss them..."

"They _are_ here, Jaime."

"I know. And so are you, Mom," she said, hugging Helen tightly. "I don't know what I'd have ever done without you."

The older woman felt a tear forming in her eye; that simply wouldn't do, at least not right now. She picked up Jaime's dress from the bed and held it out to her. "It's time."

The dress was beautiful - and perfect: delicate antique lace over silk for the bodice and full skirt, with tiny flowers for buttons in the back. The full train and flared sleeves were made of the lace alone, as was Jaime's veil with its band of embroidered flowers at the hairline. Helen helped her slip the dress over her head and then buttoned the back. This time, she couldn't fight the tears as she stepped back to admire the young woman she'd always thought of as her daughter, even before Jaime's parents had been killed.

"Mom, you're gonna make me cry..."

"I'm sorry, Dear," Helen said, allowing herself a few more happy, nostalgic tears before dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "It's time to finish getting you ready to become Mrs. Steve Austin!"

------


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

September 5, 1978

Steve sat with his feet up in his favorite easy chair, contentedly sharing memories with Oscar, Rudy and Jim. He'd need a lot less time to get ready than his bride, leaving him more time to think and to remember...

------

September 14, 1954

Steve wiped the sand from his face, trying to pretend the water in his eyes was from sand and not tears. The truth was, he'd been forced to choose between hurting his new friend and preserving his image in front of his peers, who weren't really his friends at all. Steve, just as many other kids do at that age, had made the wrong choice.

Jaime glared at him until he'd brushed away enough sand to be able to clearly see her anger, then she turned on her heels and ran into the house. Steve sniffled his entire way home.

------

September 20, 1954

Steve had spent a very lonely week, walking home by himself, kicking pebbles as he went and pretending not to notice Jaime skipping merrily down the sidewalk and then the path to her house. Steve's mother had noticed his mood and, since she hadn't seen the tiny, pigtailed tomboy in a few days, she suggested Steve's new stepfather, Jim, have a talk with him. After a few protesting choruses of _but...she's too little to be a **girl**_, Steve was walking down the path to Jaime's house with one hand hidden behind his back.

He found her in the backyard, nestled in the forked branch of her favorite tree. "Hey, Jaime, can I come up?" he called.

Jaime made a face and stuck out her tongue. "Why?"

"Because...I brought you something."

"I'm mad at you, Steve Austin!" She turned her back and was quiet for a good ten seconds. "What is it?"

Steve climbed very carefully with one hand and both feet, taking great pains not to jostle what he held behind his back. Once he was beside her, he extended the previously hidden fist, full of dandelions gone to seed, their fluffy white tops still fully intact.

Jaime's whole face lit up with excitement, her anger forgotten. "**_Wish flowers_**!" she proclaimed happily. She was, after all, five years old.

------

September 5, 1978

"So the first advice I ever gave you really did help," Jim Elgin said proudly as he adjusted his cummerbund. He would be walking Jaime down the aisle and had to be ready earlier than the other men, since he was meeting her at Mrs. Noah's house and riding with her in the limo, the approximately three blocks to the wedding site. The other men, with less than a block to travel, were planning to walk.

Steve laughed. "You wanted me to take her some real flowers. Knowing Jaime, that would've gotten me a black eye."

Jim chuckled. "You're probably right. Now - Oscar and Rudy, make sure this nervous groom stays back here in the den, until it's time to leave. If he's anywhere near the front windows when our limo goes by, Jaime'll have all of our heads on a platter." He shook Steve's hand, hugged him, then patted his back. "I'll see you at the altar, Son."

------

September 22, 1954

Steve was soon presented with the chance to make another schoolyard choice, even more daunting and difficult than the first one had been. Jaime didn't instantly pounce upon him for their after school walk home, and he soon discovered why. As he crossed the playground, looking for her, a commotion by the fence in the far corner caught his eye. Jaime was being bullied - lifted up by her pigtails - by a _fifth-grader_.

In true Jaime-style, she was refusing to cry (the reaction the bully was probably aiming for) and instead was madder than hell, kicking fiercely at his shins and knee-caps. She was, for the moment, holding her own, but the bully's mistreatment was more than Steve could tolerate. Without a thought for his own well-being, he stormed over to help his friend.

"Put her down!" Steve demanded.

The bully barely glanced at him. "Both of you together still couldn't make me," he sneered.

"Yeah, well, it's a real big deal that you can take on a five-year-old. I'm so impressed." Steve yanked on the bigger boy's shoulder. "Now, put her down!" When there was no response, he puffed out his chest, drew back his arm and delivered the very first punch of his eight-year-old life.

Three things happened, all at once: the bully let go of Jaime, Steve received his very first bonafide black eye, and he gained a lifelong friend.

------

September 5, 1978

Oscar listened to Steve's reminiscing with his own nostalgic smile and memories he knew should never be shared, of the first time he'd ever seen Jaime. She was on Steve's arm, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at him, one day when Oscar had visited Jim and Helen's ranch with an assignment for Steve.

He'd been instantly captivated by the lithe, leggy blonde with the wide, expressive hazel eyes. It only took that initial glance and brief meeting, though, for Oscar to see how **_right_** Jaime and Steve were together.

Over time, after Jaime had become bionic and Oscar began to know her as a person, he found himself, unexpectedly, falling very deeply in love. It was a feeling he knew he could never express or allow to surface because Oscar loved Jaime enough to want what was best for her. As much as he wanted - no, _needed_ - her in his own arms, Oscar's heart and mind both knew without a doubt that Jaime belonged with Steve. She always had.

------


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

September 5, 1978

"She was quite the little spitfire back then," Rudy noted.

"Still is," Steve said with a chuckle. "But the tame ones aren't any fun; I've always liked a challenge."

"When did you finally figure out she was more than pigtails and overalls?" Oscar asked.

"It took awhile..."

------

June 11, 1961

..."Happy birthday, dear Jaime, happy birthday to you!"

Jaime looked around the table, smiled at everyone in turn. She had been very firm about **not** wanting a party this year, so they held a family celebration, instead. James and Ann Sommers (of course), and - a part of their family for nearly seven years now - Jim and Helen Elgin...and Steve.

She and Steve hadn't seen as much of each other in the past year, since he had 'graduated' from the K - 8th grade school they'd always attended together. He was in high school now, and Jaime was surprised to find herself suddenly feeling very shy, unable to look at him without blushing, so her smile for him was as sweet as it had always been, but very, very brief.

Steve was looking at her, though. He'd been noticing girls for quite awhile now, but she'd always been..._Jaime_. When had she gotten so pretty? What happened to the pig-tailed, tree-climbing tomboy? He was sure going to miss her. Then again, this Jaime definitely had her charms. He knew what he had to do.

When the cake, presents and birthday whoop-de-do was over and the adults moved into the living room with their coffee, he looked conspiratorially at his longtime buddy. "Wanna visit the tree house, for old-time's sake?"

Jaime blushed. "Ok..."

"Happy birthday," he told her softly, once they were alone among the branches.

"Thanks." _Why_ did she suddenly feel so awkward?

"I've really missed you this year."

Jaime smiled, still blushing. "It's weird, walking to school by myself."

"I'll bet you've got half a dozen guys competing to carry your books."

"Yeah, right, Austin."

"You're still going to your parents' cabin this summer, right?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Well, I had to pretend that I thought it was lame," he began. He looked into her eyes and was momentarily tongue-tied. "Wouldn't miss it, though," he added once his voice returned. "Are you?"

Jaime looked shyly at the floor. "If you're going, then I guess I will, too." She looked up at him and smiled with her entire face.

Steve couldn't stand it any more. He had to try; he had to _know_. He reached over to gently trace her smile with his fingertip, then leaned in close and...he kissed her. Quick and soft, sort of a trial basis, before gazing into her eyes and seeing someone other than a tree-climbing buddy looking back at him.

Jaime was shocked and surprised, but in the happiest possible way. She, too, had been wondering what that might be like, but - it was too quick to tell for sure! Still curious, she moved closer. As if following some mutual signal, their lips met once more, longer and a little harder this time, until, once again in near-perfect unison, they leaned back and began to laugh. The tree-climbing, bike-riding pals had returned, finding total absurdity in what their counterparts had just done. They chuckled, giggled and belly-laughed, on and on, finding themselves unable to stop.

The kiss - its feel and the meaning behind it - were filed away for possible future reference.

------

September 5, 1978

It was almost time to go, and Jaime - with Peggy and Lynda by her side - was giving everything the once-over as she told them how her relationship with Steve had finally blossomed.

------

December 12, 1963

Things changed, slowly but surely, once Jaime reached ninth grade and for one glorious year, they were once again at the same school. Steve had introduced her around on the first day, but he had his own crowd to hang with, and so did she. Over the past four summers, they'd found their friendship to be as strong as ever. They could tell each other anything and everything, or go for long walks together, content without having to say a single word. There'd been no repeats of the tree house incident, though. It seemed they were destined to be the closest of friends and nothing more.

This afternoon, though, while she was batting tennis balls around the practice court, Jaime noticed a lone figure in a varsity football uniform, watching her through the chain link fence.

"Hey, you're pretty good, Kid," he told her when she retrieved a ball that had 'accidentally' bounced in his direction.

"Thanks. Call me Kid again, though, and I'll be forced to take drastic measures."

"Oh really? Such as?"

"Well...like bopping you over the head with my racket!" she said playfully. "I'm _not_ a kid anymore, Steve."

He nodded in appreciation. "I noticed."

Jaime grinned. "And guess what? I made Varsity!"

"Freshmen don't make Varsity -"

"_I did_."

"Wow. I am impressed - congratulations! How'd you like to celebrate by coming to my Senior class New Year's Eve party?" He'd forced his voice to stay casual, but held his breath as he anxiously awaited her answer.

"Me? A lowly Freshman?"

"No...you, _Jaime_."

She was utterly charmed. Of course, she said yes. It was her first real 'grown-up' type date, and at the stroke of midnight, Steve presented her with one more first: her very first _real_ kiss. His lips lingered on hers, savoring the sweetness, and this time, nobody laughed.

------


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Steve, you've been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. You've been my best friend, my big brother, my confidante and my guardian angel. Even when we've been apart, our lives have stayed connected, just waiting for us to catch up. In so many ways, I believe our souls have been married since before either of us were even born. I think we both knew that for certain on my twelfth birthday, up in that tree house, because even though the thought of the two of us as a couple made us laugh ourselves silly, neither one of us backed away. You're not just a part of my life - you _are_ my life, and the only man I have ever loved. I promise to spend the rest of my life loving you and doing everything in my power to make you happy and to celebrate and honor _us_. I love you, Steve, beyond 'death do us part' - _Always._"

"Jaime, when I was eight years old, no one could've convinced me that the little pigtailed ball of energy who followed me around the playground would grow into...you. It seemed like you knew, even before we'd ever spoken a word to each other, that we were _supposed_ to be friends. You couldn't understand why I didn't see that, too. I knew for certain that we were destined for today when I held you in my arms and we kissed - really kissed - for the first time on New Year's Eve. You fit so perfectly in my arms that I knew you belonged there and that you'd be the only woman I would ever love - _Always_."

_Colonel and Mrs. Steve Austin_...**_Always._**

END


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